Chapter 12 #3
I took my time in the shower, enjoying the feel of clean, warm water on my skin and through my hair.
The only thing that made me get out was the exhaustion that came crashing down on me.
I hadn’t slept last night and my whole body was in agony from walking so weirdly to avoid stepping on my sore foot.
It was not even noon yet, but I yearned to curl up in that soft bed and sleep forever.
When I was done, I took a few steadying breaths before heading downstairs.
Grayson was already sitting at the dining table, his hair still wet, deep in conversation with Gemma and Hunter.
The latter two were preparing the meal together.
Grayson quietly gestured for me to sit next to him, so, I took a seat across from him instead, giving him my most sarcastic smile.
He arched a brow at me, smirking at me like he was a cat, and I was the unfortunate mouse who had made the mistake of stepping over his tail.
I suppressed a shudder. I shouldn’t be so wilful. He was enjoying it too much. Any type of challenge, it seemed, was enticing to him.
Gemma, who was still chatting away, noticed me then, “Ava! Just in time. Lunch is almost ready.”
I smiled at Gemma, relieved to have a reason to look away from Grayson’s taunting stare.
I made a point of not looking his way again as we ate.
Instead, I quietly observed the camaraderie between the three of them.
It was obvious they spent a lot of time together.
They were completely at ease with one another.
A family. Although they liked to poke fun at him, it was obvious that Hunter and Gemma had a great deal of respect for Grayson.
He in return, fondly rolled his eyes at them and countered every one of their jabs.
Grayson made no effort in hiding his… darkness from them, and neither of them showed any sign of discomfort at it.
Just acceptance. Their closeness and familiarity made my heart ache for my own family.
I didn’t participate much in the conversations, despite Gemma’s best effort.
I was too exhausted and gloomy. Although, it wasn’t lost on me that, in spite of my lack of involvement, all attention was still on me.
I kept finding Grayson’s eyes on me when I looked up from my food.
Hunter too. But with every passing minute, Hunter grew quieter; a frown settling between his brows.
When I’d finished my food and was almost crawling out of my skin with all the attention I seemed to attract, I excused myself to my room.
I hobbled onto the first step but felt an arm close around my waist. There was no need to look to know that it was Grayson.
He practically lifted me onto each step.
I wondered why he didn’t just scoop me up and carry me, like he had when I was struggling too much while hiking.
It would be much quicker for him. But glancing over my shoulder, I saw Gemma and Hunter scrambling to find someplace else to look.
Right. We had an audience.
“Well, you smell better.” Grayson bit his lip to keep from smiling as we reached the last steps.
I blushed a deep red. “You too. I won’t lose consciousness when you pull me closer to your armpit this time.”
“Oh, no, darling. There will be no ‘this time.’ I’ll be sleeping on the couch tonight. Alone,” he emphasized. “But thanks for offering.”
I cursed the blood rushing to my cheeks, making them an even darker shade of red. Keeping my head down was the only way I could try and hide my obvious embarrassment. “You’re so full of yourself,” I grumbled. “I’d like to remind you that not everyone you meet wants to get you in bed.”
He chuckled and lifted me off my feet, placing me on the bed. “Actually, I’ve had the opposite experience. Everyone wants me, darling.”
“Not me.”
“Because you’re a masochist. Always denying yourself the pleasures of life.”
I laughed. “You think of yourself as life’s pleasure?”
Grayson shrugged, staring me dead in the eyes. “I guess you’ll never get to experience why.”
My stomach flipped and I had to look away.
Grayson propped my leg onto a pillow, so my sore foot was elevated.
I noticed the first aid bag dangling from his wrist for the first time.
The same one he had flung at me that first night.
He inspected my foot, rubbing his thumb over the swollen parts.
The bruises had started to yellow slightly on the edges.
Warmth settled in my stomach again as I watched him. This Grayson was gentle and kind.
“Will you always be this nice to me?” I asked tentatively, secretly crossing my fingers.
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“If you behave.”
The mischief in his voice sent sparks down my spine. “And if I don’t?” I countered.
His eyes shot up, surprised by my suggestive tone. I was pinned by his eyes for one long second, before he continued with my foot. He didn’t respond, but I caught the slight upturn of his mouth.
Why did I say that? “How’s the couch?” I asked, trying to change the subject. I should steer clear of starting things I had no intention of finishing.
He shrugged. “It’s decent. Why? Want to swap?”
A scowl drew my brows together. “No self-respecting princess sleeps on a couch.” I stuck my nose in the air, delighting in his laughter.
He stood from the bed and bowed deeply. “All done, Your Highness. I shall retire for the evening, lest Your Highness requires any…other services?” He spoke in an accent that was surprisingly good.
I pretended not to catch the obvious suggestive undertone of his question. Joke or no, I felt too flustered to come up with a witty response. “No, I’m quite all right.” I added quickly, “And thanks for this.” I lifted my bandaged foot, very un-princess like.
Grayson smiled while lifting me up and pulling the duvet from under me.
He tucked me in like a child. He seemed to notice then how close his face was to mine, and his eyes drifted to my lips.
Was he thinking of kissing me? He came even closer, and my breathing hitched.
I could feel his breath fanning across my face, sending waves of electricity through my body.
I inched upward, pulled to him as if magnetised.
I waited breathlessly for him to close the gap, to press his lips to mine.
But he didn’t. Instead, he kissed me softly on my forehead, his lips a whisper on my skin as he said, “Get some rest, Princess.”
My thoughts were cloudy as he left the room and closed the door behind him. I was relieved to not hear the lock on the outside of the door.
So much had changed. I went from utterly fearing Grayson to wanting him to kiss me in a matter of days.
I turned to my side and clutched my knees to my chest. With him not in the room, his presence not ingulfing me, I could see it.
The foolishness. The stupidity. This was not healthy.
I’ve crossed a boundary, right into the land of insanity.
Yes, he was being kind to me. And he was interesting, and smart and intense and strong and sexy as hell. But he was also mean and abrasive and ill-tempered and dangerous.
He was dangerous. I shouldn’t have forgotten that.
I was completely at his mercy, and it was a hazardous place to be.
I needed to put some distance between us, create some boundaries.
How would he react to that? No clue, because I had no clue who I was dealing with.
I needed to take a step back and get all my peculiar little ducks back in a row.